1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of construction and more particularly, to a hand tool for use by drywallers in shaping and cleaning corners in a drywall installation.
2. Description of Related Art
The finishing of interiors of residences and business establishments by drywall sheets has evolved to utilizing bullnose corners. These bullnose corners are made by utilizing a curved metal strip placed between two drywall sheets that meet at a protruding angle. A finishing compound is then applied over the metal strip before the drywall is painted. Typical angles for these corners are 90° and 135°. Besides forming bullnose corners at the meeting point of two walls, bullnose corners are also sometimes formed on drywall adjacent a door jamb.
Tools that permit a drywall finisher to finish bullnose joints have been devised. U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,484 granted Feb. 28, 1995 to John Stoltzfus for Bullnose Corner Cleaning Tool shows a handheld tool having a single working head at one end of a handle. The head is generally formed as a section of a thin-walled hollow cylinder having a concave side and convex side. The single head working portion is configured to finish drywall joints of different angles. The head includes a curved recess for finishing a bullnose joint. U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,570 granted Jun. 17, 1997 to Glen A. Gruner for a Drywall Bullnose Cleaner Tool, shows a handheld tool that has an elongated handle portion with first and second end portions. Both end portions are shaped to match a bullnose corner. One end portion is shaped in a 75° arc to match a 90° bullnose corner joint. The second end portion is shaped in a 50° arc that matches a 135° bullnose corner joint. U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,776 granted Aug. 15, 1995 to Michael Kartler for a Corner Finishing System, shows an applicator tool for applying joint compound to corners. The tool has a handle and a head. The head is curved. The handle and head are integrally formed from plastic material. A flexible blade projects from the forward edge of the head which is used to smooth a compound into a drywall corner.
Although these tools are functional to accomplish their general purpose of applying compound material to drywall bullnose corner joints, each of them have the shaping surface lined up on the axis with the handle, so that when the tool is moved downward or upward against the corner, it is difficult to see exactly what the tool is doing until after the tool has passed the contact spot. Thus, there still exists a need for an improved tool for cleaning and shaping bullnose corners that will allow the user to see what the tool is doing at the point of contact.